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Loads for Garand

K

Kinsman

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Full Member
Minuteman
Feb 21, 2006
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Dallas, Georgia
Just yesterday, I got a new Springfield Armory Garand. Like new, anyways.
I have almost no experience with the Garand, but I understand that it is picky about what it is fed.
Do any of you have some favorite loads?
I have several bullet weights from 125 gr to 200 gr.
Any help?
 
I would recommend loads using LC 30-06 Brass.For a primer I would use Mil Spec CCI Large Rifle.For Powder IMR 4895. A lot of people I know use around 46 grains of powder with 168 SMK .Work up to 46 grains do not start at the top end first. For a bullet 150-175 FMJ. SMK 168 or 175 should shoot real well.
When loading for a GAS Gun Make sure your Primers are seated properly.You should bump your shoulders on the case back at least .002-003 from a case that was fired out of that rifle.
Loading for a Gas Gun is a lot different than loading for a bolt gun.
Hope this helps.

Regards,Mike
 
For the 100 - 400 yard shooting I have found that 155 - 168 gr. Match bullets with either IMR 4895 or IMR 4064 provided good results. I use 46.5 grs. for both powders with both bullet weights. Tomorrow I am going to take the Garand out to 1000 yards. I am using 175 gr. Sierra Matchkings with 47.2 grs. IMR 4895 to try and get on paper. I have several other loads to test if & when I get on paper. I will post my results tomorrow evening.
Semper Fi
 
Tag for 1000 yard Garand result pics.

Good luck the old war horse will do well I hope.

Varget, IMR 4064 and IMR 4895 all around 46.5 grns (perhaps a little more with 4064, perhaps a little less with Varget) all work well with a 168 SMK/Nosler CC.
 
Pay attention to case length when resizing. M1's and M14's stretch pretty ggod when fired! IMR 4064 plus 168 SMK's are my favorites. One more note on these as well when using military brass is to pay particular attention to the cases after 3-4 reloads as they start weakening and you can have a case head separation! I usually use a wire and and feel inside the case with it after it is tumbled and you can start to feel a ridge. Sometimes you can see it as a hazy line around the case as well.
 
I have been shooting h4895 47.2 , 155 nosler cc with Remington brass. Mild load and accurate
 
I will do some digging,years ago there was a really good writeup about reloading for the Garand in an issue of the Garand Collectors Assoc. newsletter. If I can find it I will post it. Going through my notes on my Garands they all have as slightly different load than each other but a good average on them in 47.0 gr IMR 4064 with a 168 SMK and 49.0 of H380 with a 168 SMK. These might help you with a good start!
 
My pre-WWII SA Garand dines on the NRA-published generic 150gr projectile load of 50.0gr of IMR-4064. The Hornady #3037 150gr FMJBT W/C, WLR, and Rem brass complete the load. No fuss, no muss...; I practically never shoot beyond 250yd these days, so heavier bullets make little sense for me.

Greg
 
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Thanks for all your replies.
At least now I have some good starting points. This rifle, by the way, is not an old military issued rifle. It was made by Springfield Armory a few years ago.
I fired it when it was still "new", and have lusted for one since then.

My wife does not share my enthusiasm, and is tres PISSED! But as she tells me so often, she can get glad just as fast as she got mad.......
 
Kinsman said:
My wife does not share my enthusiasm, and is tres PISSED! But as she tells me so often, she can get glad just as fast as she got mad.......
Click to expand...

My name is Phil and I have a problem...

I consider myself a pretty stand up guy in most things in life. I belive in honor.....yet when my wife asked "How much did that cost?" referring to my LMT MWS with the RAL8000 S&B 5-25X I was horrified when my vocal chords involuntarily blurted out "$1500".

I justify it with absolutely no desire for banging whores or screwing up my kids' life. If I came home drunk wearing a used condom that would put my rifle hobby in perspective.
 
When I gave her a Colt Trooper, she didn't ask what it cost.
When I gave her a S&W 629. she didn't ask what it cost.
When I gave her a Colt Python......

She just thinks that 38 rifles is enough!!
39 now.
 
Thanks for the Garand load data. Do you load any differently for service issued rifles that clearly have more 'mileage'? I worry about pushing heavier loads through older CMP surplus rifles that are have more wear and tear vs. the re-barreled actions they sometimes supply.
 
My Garand was driving me nuts for the longest time .It would shoot good and then just couldn't hit any thing .Finally some one looked at it and told me to tighten up the rear sight .He said to take it apart and take a punch and peen the surfaces to make them tighter .Ha fat chance ,those parts are hard as glass .I shimmed the sight ramp with brass shim stock and now it seems to shoot noticeably better and the sight tracks like it should . Arnie
 
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